


The District Leader Is Short

by TheaterTherapy



Category: The Book of Mormon - Ambiguous Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Height Differences, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 12:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5708329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaterTherapy/pseuds/TheaterTherapy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being short wasn't so bad for Connor McKinley. It meant he was always in the front for dance recitals and never had to worry about ducking his head. The only downside to being as tall as of a middle schooler was having to look up to Elder Price, which really wasn't all that much of a downside.</p><p>(Basically, Connor needs someone who can reach all the tall things and Kevin accidentally gets the job.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The District Leader Is Short

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: A bit of heavy petting toward the end, but nothing too graphic.
> 
> Actual plot less story that I thought would be fun to interpret. I think height difference couples are so cute, so why not?

Not once in Kevin Price's life did he think he would see a group of nineteen year old missionaries cower in fear in the presence of a currently enraged 5' 4" redhead. 

The redhead in question was none other than Connor McKinley, district leader of the District Nine Uganda mission. The usually chipper and upbeat man currently had his hands on his narrow hips and was facing down the much taller crowd with a hair raising glare. Price watched Elder Thomas shrink as he met McKinley's ire filled eyes. 

"Alright, Elders. I want to know this instant who decided to hide all of my step stools." The redhead practically spat, causing Elder Zelder to squeak in fear.

Elder Price turned to look at the varying expressions of the other boys. Most had a look of panic on their faces, while some hid their eyes in reverence of the scolding they were about to receive. Kevin scratched the back of his head, trying his hardest to look innocent. Elder McKinley turned his cold eyes on Price and very nearly questioned him before he was cut off by the nervous laughter of the district's self proclaimed prophet. He turned gracefully on his heel and hit the curly haired Elder with the full force of his gaze. Kevin felt his stomach drop, cold sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck despite the intense heat.

"Something you'd like to add, Elder Cunningham?" He said sweetly, the angry twitch of his lip showing that the district leader had very little patience left to give. Arnold stuttered awkwardly, reverting to looking down at his twiddling fingers.

"Well, you see, Elder McKinley. E-Elder Price and I might have...borrowed, your stool." He mumbled through his teeth, not daring to meet the cool blue eyes of the small Elder practically breathing down his neck. Kevin watched the agitated twitch of the redhead's brows as he took a few calming breaths.

"And why aren't they here now, if yourself and Elder Price 'borrowed' them?" He questioned, looking up at the slightly taller boy. 

"Elder Price and I needed it to, to..." He said quietly, looking everywhere except his district leader's eyes. The brunette couldn't keep in the exasperated sigh that escaped his lips. His best friend may have been a pathological liar, but why now did he choose to not have an outrageous embellishment of the truth to tell the district leader?! 

The brunette actually face palmed, doing his best not to start nervously laughing. It seemed the other Elders weren't doing much better. Church was quietly chuckling into his hand, while Thomas resorted to taking deep breaths to keep from smiling. This set the redhead off, making him turn an adorable shade of red. 

"Now what's so funny? Elders, this is serious!" He cried, stomping his foot indigently. The effect only caused the district leader to look like a bratty child, making the other Elders' fear dissipate into laughter. McKinley let out an exasperated yell, going as far as to run his hands through his vibrant red hair. Through peels of laughter, Elder Thomas managed to catch his breath enough to stare at his mission companion kindly.

"We're sorry, Elder McKinley. It's just... We all may have seen what happened and...you don't have a step stool anymore." The slightly taller blonde managed to say before clutching his stomach and heartily laughing. This was the breaking point for the other boys, who no longer bothered to cover up their righteous laughter. Elder Church had an arm around Elder Thomas, trying to keep the blonde from falling to the ground in giggles. Neely and Davis were trying to cover their mouths to keep the laughter in, while Michaels and Schrader had given up and we're trying to fight tears in their eyes. The high pitched laugh of Arnold did nothing to quiet the fray. 

The redhead had lost a bit of his ire, now thoroughly confused. Sensing he would not get ahold of the situation anytime soon, he resided to stand and wait until the Elders would be capable of speech again. Something seemed off, though. Above all the laughter, one Elder wasn't laughing. Instead, Elder Price was bright red, trying to unconvincingly laugh along with the others. 

"What's wrong, Elder Price?" Even though the district leader was on the verge of tearing his hair out, he couldn't help the soft spot he had for the brunette. This caused the tall Elder to blush even more and run his hands through his hair uncomfortably. 

"Yeah, Elder Price, what's wrong? You're not still hurt, are you?" Elder Church insisted sarcastically, causing Elder Thomas to double over in giggles.

"No!" Kevin practically shouted, cheeks aflame. 

"I think his pride still is." The usually quiet Elder Zelder said, pushing his glasses up his nose. This caused another laughing fit. The brunette crossed his arms and huffed angrily. He wasn't pouting, dang it! 

"You all obviously know something that I don't, so please, for the love of Heavenly Father, what is so funny?!" Elder McKinley exclaimed, at his wit's end. 

"The reason-the reason..." Elder Thomas tried to explain, but burst into laughter instead. Elder Church put a comforting hand on the shaking Elder's back and took up the job of explaining.

"Elder Price may have been using your step stool." He began shooting a look at the brunette. Price blushed cutely, ducking his head. Elder McKinley raised a brow, expectantly. 

"Well, you know how we can never get him to shut up about Disney?" He asked, making Kevin scoff quietly. 

"You see, Elder Price was singing one of his Disney songs, and got up on your step stool, you know how he is with being the center of attention-"

"Hey!" 

"And-"

"AND KEVIN JUMPED ON YOUR STOOL AND IT COLLAPSED UNDER HIS WEIGHT, IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER!!" Elder Cunningham screamed while gesturing excitedly. This brought on another round of laughter, the Elders now remembering the look on the brunette's face as he lay in a pile of splintered wood and nails. 

"I think it's the closest he's ever been to the ground!" Elder Neely said, nudging Elder Michaels in the ribs. He laughed and companionably slapped the other boy on the back. 

"Yeah! I've never seen Part Of Your World interpreted like that!" Elder Thomas piped in. 

"Maybe this is Heavenly Father's way of reminding Elder Price the punishment of showing off!" Elder Church replied, making the blonde boy giggle adorably. 

Fed up, Kevin threw his arms out to the side to gather the attention of the room. His face was bright red and he looked close to raking his fingers through his precisely coiffed hair. His brow twitched, similar to what McKinley's had been doing earlier.

"Okay! We get it! It was super funny and we all got a good laugh, but let's stop talking about it because it is clearly upsetting Elder McKinley!" Kevin whined, voice high-pitched and clearly embarrassed. The group turned to the Elder in question who was biting his lip, an adorable pink shade clashing with his freckles. This stopped Kevin in his tracks, as he was unable to stop the thoughts of how appealing the district leader looked when he was fighting to keep the most likely dazzling smile from his face. Elder Price wanted to see how those beautiful cerulean eyes would look scrunched up in happiness, the usual dark blue of repressed emotions replaced by the baby blues that used to color the sky over the Salt Lake Temple. The brunette received his wish as the redhead's resolve broke, and he clutched his sides with joy and laughed the cutest laugh Kevin had ever heard. He wanted to make Elder McKinley happy enough that his sides ached and his eyes never again took on that depressingly dull shade of blue. 

Did that sound gay? He wasn't gay, dang it! Darn Elder McKinley and his adorably tiny, lithe body, charming smile, and expressive eyes! It wasn't gay that Kevin really wanted to find out if that fiery red hair was as soft as it looked, was it? No, it could be completely heterosexual and platonic. Right? Right.

McKinley's laughter shocked some of the Elders who were expecting the district leader to turn the full force of his anger on the brunette. Instead, they were met with jubilant laughter and tear streaked cheeks as the redhead cried from the hilarity of the situation. Elder Price, red faced and beaten pride aside, stood and watched the display. Deciding that he had had enough of the mocking at his expense, tried to get the group under control. Sensing the brunette was close to a temper tantrum, McKinley pulled himself together and silenced the group with a single hand motion. They quieted, allowing the redhead to approach the brunette. He had to look up to meet the warm brown of Price's eyes. He was pouting at him cutely, making the redhead's heart flutter dangerously. Wait? Heart fluttering? Turn it off! Taking a deep breath, he put on his familiar missionary smile and squared his shoulders to appear taller.

"Well, Elder Price. Since you're the one who decided to break a step stool--that I brought from home, might I add--I'm promoting you to a new job. How tall are you?" He said with a snarky smirk, putting his hands on his narrow hips.

"I'm 6' 4."" He said proudly, squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest out. He could be proud of this, gosh darn it! 

Instead of finding the somewhat vain tone insulting, the redhead found it endearing. Smiling wickedly, he stared down the brunette enough to cause his satisfied smirk to lose some of it's confidence.

"Elder Price, being the tall person that you are, I'm making you my honorary step stool until we can buy one at the market next week." McKinley's voice left no room for argument, making the brunette wilt. He tried to use his puppy dog eyes on the district leader, knowing that the redhead never could resist them. The small Mormon stood his ground, knowing that if he gave in, Elder Price would never let it go. No matter how beautiful his eyes were, or how becoming the pout on his lips made him look like one of Elder McKinley's nightly temptations. 

Seeing that McKinley wasn't going to stand down, the brunette stomped his foot and crossed his arms. 

"Fine." He stiffly replied. He could hear the other Elders snickering, and he resisted the urge to turn around and glare. Hunching his broad shoulders, he proceeded to stomp out of the room in a dramatic fashion. Elder McKinley chucked to himself. This was going to be a very fun week, indeed. 

~*~*~

"Elder Price. Elder Price! I need you!" A voice chimed from the small kitchen, causing Kevin to stop his meticulous hair grooming and walk out of the bathroom in surprise. Upon entering the kitchen, he was met with eager azure orbs. The brunette raised an eyebrow in obvious irritation.

"Yes?" He asked blithely. The district leader simply pointed up at the tallest cupboard, clearly out of his reach. Kevin stared blankly at the cupboard and then back at the redhead, his mind fuzzy from sleep. 

"I need it for my tea." He stated, looking at the tall Elder expectantly. The pieces clicked together, and Price couldn't stop the annoyed sigh that escaped his mouth. He knew that Mormons were supposed to be happy and helpful, but it was too early in the morning and the request just too ridiculous. 

"I am not grabbing that mug down for you." He stated, crossing his arms across his broad chest. This caused the redhead to scoff and roll his eyes. 

"May I remind you who broke my only way of reaching my mug." He said sweetly, batting his eyelashes at the obviously annoyed Elder. Knowing it was a losing battle, Price resigned to his fate and grabbed the obnoxious pink mug. He handed it to the tiny Elder who thanked him and proceeded to fill it with tea. Elder Price didn't let McKinley see his small smile as he exited the room to finish doing his hair.

~*~*~

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"I completely disagree. It's hilarious."

"You're acting like a child!"

"You're as tall as one!" 

"Now that's just mean, and you know it!"

"You know what else is mean? Asking me to put Elder Thomas' PopTarts in the highest cupboard."

"He's only allowed to have one a day and he's been sneaking them-- that's none of your business anyway, you're just my human step stool! Now give me my tap shoes back!"

"Nope!" 

Elder Price laughed louder as he swung the shoes above his head like a prize. McKinley was left to jump up in a useless attempt to reach his beloved tap shoes. They were in this position due to McKinley abusing his power over the brunette. Apparently, Elder Price did not appreciate being woken up at the crack of dawn to retrieve the redhead's Book of Arnold that had mysteriously ended up on the top of the refrigerator. This did not stop McKinley from terrorizing and guilting Kevin into getting out of bed to retrieve it for him. Pissed of, Elder Price had grabbed the tap shoes off the table and raised them above his head, taunting the short boy. 

Thus led to McKinley jumping uselessly and Price laughing at his misery. Everything was going great for Kevin until he felt muscular legs wrap around his torso and a hand grasp his shoulder. Overwhelmed by the sudden presence of the redhead barely a hair's breath away, he missed the fact that Connor had reached up and grabbed his shoes out of his slack grip. The district leader gracefully hopped down and pulled the brunette into a hug, his face pressed tightly against the brunette's strong chest. Before he could embrace the small man, he was gone, winking and sauntering out of the room. Kevin stood staring wide eyed at the doorway. If he had leaned in just a bit more, he could have found out of the redhead's lips were as soft as they looked. Woah! What was that? 

Deciding it was too early in the morning to be dealing with thoughts like those, the brunette sighed and went back to his and Arnold's shared room. 

~*~*~

Connor was starting to feel more like a doll than a district leader. 

Every time he apparently stood in the way of something that Elder Price needed, the tall brunette felt the need to pick him up and move him. Not even in a manly way, either! The brunette would gently pick him up bridal style, causing Connor to wrap his arms around the brunette's neck to stay secure. Not because he wanted to, only because he didn't want to be dropped, okay? 

Even now, as he made his way to the village to have his daily meeting sessions with the interested Ugandans looking to be baptized, Elder Price came up behind him and picked him up off the ground and into his arms. The redhead let out an unmanly shriek, surprised at the sudden change of height. Kevin laughed, deep and loud, making Connor blush. He shouldn't have found that as attractive as he did. 

"Elder Price! Put me down! Even though I'm short I have no trouble keeping up with the group!" He shrieked, clinging to the Elder for dear life. This only made the brunette laugh harder.

"That's true, but you're practically running to keep up. I'm just trying to be nice." He replied cheekily.

"Yes, because you're always so nice and eager to help." 

"I am!" 

"Right. Hey, wait--ah!" McKinley yelled as Kevin threatened to drop him. The redhead firmly grasped his arms around Price's broad shoulders, holding on for dear life. The brunette finally pulled him back up into a secure hold, making the redhead sigh in relief.

"I'd be careful what you say, district leader, when it's a long fall to the ground."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

Connor didn't bother denying this fact. 

~*~*~

Muted yellow light painted the homely kitchen, the sun barely up yet still stuffily hot. The Elders lethargically ate their breakfasts, some more awake than others. Elder Thomas blinked blearily, almost missing his mouth as he shoved bland oatmeal into it. 

Even since leaving the LDS Church and joining Arnold's, the Elders had let some of the rules slide. Such as the rule about no caffeine. Kevin took liberal use of this rule, even going as far as to buy his own coffee maker at the market. He was virtually useless before his morning cup of coffee, and it clearly showed as he turned around and accidentally elbowed Elder McKinley in the face, causing the redhead to shout in surprise and trip over a chair. This snapped the brunette out of his sleep induced haze quickly. He fell to the floor beside the dazed redhead and helped him into a sitting position.

"Oh my gosh, Elder McKinley, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to elbow you, I just turned around and you were there and--" The brunette cried frantically, trying to gently pry Connor's fingers away to inspect the injury. The redhead batted his hands away, before pulling his own back and inspecting them for blood.

"I'm fine, Elder. This happens sometimes when you're as short as a middle schooler. It's really alright." The district leader replied, trying to get the brunette to calm down. This didn't placate the worrying Mormon, who reached out and gently cupped the freckled face. Connor blushed fiercely, trying to ignore the fact that the boy he had been secretly crushing on was now close enough to see the light brown flecks in his eyes. And he kept leaning closer! Kevin tilted Connor's head from side to side, looking for what he felt would be a serious injury. Finding only a slight red mark, he sighed, lightly tracing it with his fingers. The redhead bit his lip, trying to keep the most likely mortifying sounds from slipping from his lips. 'Hello, gay box! Have you met my foot?' 

Connor was so absorbed in his internal struggle, that he didn't notice that the brunette had moved closer still, causing the redhead to gulp nervously. God was tempting him in the form of a maddeningly tall, charismatic charmer with perfectly coiffed hair and a smile that could convince the most stubborn of men. 

"Elder McKinley? Are you okay?" He asked quietly, his voice laced with concern. Connor felt his face get hot, and tried to keep his stare on Kevin's eyes and not the plump lips that the brunette had just licked innocently. Turn it off! Off! Off!

"Yes, I'm fine, now." The redhead replied before he could stop himself. He internally raged, thinking about how sappy and lovesick that sounded. Elder Price had been surprised at the slip up, considering the redhead was usually careful about letting his feelings out. Kevin felt proud of being the one to have such an effect on the small man. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, like something was constricting his breathing, but in the best kind of way. He watched as Connor blushed madly, his distractingly blue eyes lighting up in embarrassment. 

The brunette's body was moving forward before his subconscious caught up with him. They were breathing the same air, tiny puffs of warm breath playing across his lips enticingly. He had turned his head to the right, enough of an invitation to imply what he wanted. The district leader looked to be fighting with himself, his want for the brunette opposing what the Church had been telling him was wrong his entire life. He had awkwardly turned his head, but clearly would not be the one to make the first move. 

The brunette's eyes fluttered as he moved toward those soft looking lips, his hand still holding the redhead's face used to guide him toward the brunette. Connor didn't realize he had closed his eyes until he could only feel the nervous breath of the tall man against his eager lips. Just when they were about to share their first kiss, an excited Elder Cunningham burst through the door, a 'text' from Nabulungi crinkling slightly in his tight grip. 

"Guys, check it out! Necrophilia invited me to walk her to the market! Can you believe it?! This is the best day ever! Even better than when they released the trailer to the new Star Wars movie!" The dark haired man boisterously said, clearly oblivious to the fact that his mission companion was staring daggers into the back of his head. The other Elders shook their heads ruefully. Connor and Kevin thought they were so discreet with their attraction towards each other, while in reality, the Elders had taken up bets as to when they would get together.

The couple had jumped back pretty quickly, seeming to realize what they were about to do. Connor looked at his mission companion, who shrugged helplessly. He and the district leader would talk late at night, and he would hopelessly gush over the tall Elder. After noticing Price's unconscious mutual attraction, he had been rooting for the pair ever since. 

Kevin glared at the self-proclaimed prophet, knowing that he wouldn't notice but giving his all anyway. Arnold turned around and saw the pissed off brunette. 

"Hey, best friend! Look at this--why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy. Before Elder Price could snap at his friend for completely cockblocking him, Connor stood quickly and exited the kitchen with a flimsy excuse. They heard a loud bang of the front door as it echoed off the thin walls. Kevin groaned in exasperation and fell back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling with hate.

"Hey, Elder Price, this looks familiar." Thomas said, nibbling on a strawberry flavored tart. 

"Pick yourself off the floor, again, you look pathetic." Church added, stealing one of the little blonde's pastries and walking away. 

The brunette sighed and threw his hands over his eyes.

~*~*~

Elder Connor McKinley liked to think himself a capable district leader. A leader who used practical skills and knowledge to keep his household running efficiently and independently. One who the other Elders would respect and hold accountable to make the right decision at the right time. A district leader who didn't just try to kiss another missionary and feel no regret from it. 

He felt like crying. He had been so careful, turning off all gay thoughts and avoiding situations that could break his carefully constructed walls. Then Kevin Price had to come along with his handsome face and confident demeanor and all heterosexual thoughts were thrown out the window. And the fact that they had almost shared a kiss in front of the entire district! He was a horrible district leader! 

Connor decided to go for a walk, the orange sun slowly rising over the plane. He found a tree that provided soft shade, and sat beneath it. Connor resisted the urge to pillow his head in his knees, and instead crossed his legs and cradled his red curls in his hands. The district leader didn't notice the tall shadow fall over his lithe figure until it had firmly sat down next to him. He glanced up to meet the cheeky smile of Elder Price. McKinley had to keep from flinching back in surprise.

"Elder Price. What a...surprise." Connor said unconvincingly. The brunette raised an eyebrow at the usually upbeat redhead.

"Connor, you don't have to act shy about what happened. It's just me." He said sincerely, inching closer to the nervous redhead.

"Listen, Elder Price. Just because I'm cursed with this problem doesn't mean you have to be. You're, well... You're something incredible. If you kiss me you'll--for you to do something amazing here-- I'll just end up holding you back. And you're mission was the whole reason for coming here in the first--"

Connor was silenced as a pair of soft lips met his.

The redhead didn't hesitate to part his lips as a velvety tongue licked at his lower lip, making shivers run pleasantly down his spine. Kevin brought his hand up to cup the man's face, tilting it to the side to have better access to that sweet mouth. When he heard the redhead moan, something snapped within the brunette. He grabbed the short man by the hips and hauled him into his lap, making the redhead yelp and wrap his arms around Price's broad shoulders. 

When the need for air became too much, they pulled apart with a pop. Connor licked his kiss swollen lips, registering that Kevin followed the movement hungrily. He blushed as he tried to ignore the hardness rubbing against his backside pleasantly. Kevin's arms were wrapped greedily around his lithe waist, making it almost impossible to move away. The brunette took some calming breaths, trying to reign in his libido. He stared into lust blown eyes, a cool ring of blue surrounding dark orbs. They locked eyes, ice blue against liquid brown. 

"Connor, don't you get it? I can't do something incredible without you." He said softly, tracing the seam of the redhead's lips. He gasped softly, the wet air hitting the brunette's finger. 

"Kev--" 

"No, just listen. You're amazing, and I mean that. I was always so focused on my mission and pleasing God that I never really noticed anyone until you. I think you might actually be a ray of sunshine, even though you only come up to below my shoulder. And have you noticed that the Elders always come to you with their problems. It's because you actually care about them and giving them a shoulder to cry on if they need it. I've never met someone more compassionate than you, Con. I need someone beside me who balances out my ego, ya' know?" Kevin said quietly, watching with hopeful eyes as the redhead turned his words around in his head. Connor then nodded timidly, almost reluctant to let the feelings he had been hiding for so long see the light of day. 

"So... What are you saying?" He asked, letting the brunette take the lead.

"What I'm saying is, we could be boyfriends? I know homosexuality is against the law here, so. Secret boyfriends?" He said with a quirky smile. He watched as the redhead's face practically split in half with a blinding smile. Connor leaned back in for a searing kiss, to which Kevin moaned in surprise. When they pulled back, the district leader had a teasing grin on his face.

"Kevin Price, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

~*~*~ 

When the other Elders found the couple curled up together on the couch that night, Connor's short legs intertwined with Kevin's long ones, they hardly batted an eye. Elder Thomas turned to Elder Church, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"You owe me a box of s'more PopTarts. Good luck finding them in Africa." With that, he happily skipped off, unaware of the look of panic on the other Elder's face. Maybe betting on when the district leader and the Mormon Poster boy would get together hadn't been such a good idea. 

Connor simply smiled, staring up at his much taller, secret boyfriend. Having his step stool broken was the best thing to have happened to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave comments and kudos so I can improve my writing! :)


End file.
